The Express Tribune
The cold wave gripping the country has severely impacted poor children in upper Mansehra, where every second day it has taken a minor’s life.
Chilly winds, snowfall and plummeting temperatures have claimed the lives of 25 children who contracted Lower Respiratory Tract Infection (LRTI) this year, which has been confirmed by Medical Superintendent King Abdullah Teaching Hospital Dr Muhammad Niaz.
“I lost my only son here in this hospital. I brought him for treatment but I will be taking his body back home,” said Sidra Bibi from Kaghan valley.
She had brought her first-born, two-year-old Talawat Khan, to the hospital with severe cough and fever.
Sources at the hospital said the OPD has registered 8,000 cases of Upper Respiratory Tract Infection (URTI) and LRTI in the last 50 days. Of the 328 children suffering from LRTI, those suffering from killer diseases like pneumonia and bronchitis, are admitted in the paediatric ward of the hospital.
Sources said that all the children who died were between the ages of one to five years and that most children with LRTI belong to Kaghan and Siran valleys of district Mansehra.
While talking to The Express Tribune, Dr Niaz said due to heavy snowfall and rainfall in upper Mansehra, the weather has become unbearable for malnourished children from poor families. He said that although all children below five years of age are vulnerable to LRTI, children from poor families are the first to fall prey.
In reply to a question, Dr Niaz said at least 20 to 40 children die every year in Mansehra due to LRTI. He advised people to keep their children warm to ward off disease. He warned people against visiting quacks who could cause medical complications.
“They do not know how to treat minors and carry out experiments on the children which turn out to be harmful for them, he said.
“Parents must take their children to a hospital where the chances of survival are higher because there are qualified doctors and the required facilities for treating children.
When contacted, Executive District Officer Health Mansehra Dr Siddique Rehman said that the World Health Organisation has established two Respiratory Tract Infection Centres in the district, where three doctors and three nurses examine patients from December to February 29 every year.
“Controlling LRTI among children is only possible if people protect their children from the cold and keep them warm,” he added.
Replying to a question, he said there is no vaccine for bacterial or viral pneumonia. The only thing parents can do to save their children’s lives is take them to the hospital before complications develop. LRTI is common in Mansehra, he added.
Vaccines for some forms of bacterial pneumonia are available, however. The federal government has decided to include vaccine for protection against pneumonia in the Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI) because it is difficult for parents to distinguish between chest infection and pneumonia.
But in remote and hilly areas, access to healthcare is limited and parents are often unaware that inoculation can protect their children against the most common forms of bacterial pneumonia. The Pakistan Paediatrics’
Association, had been campaigning for the inclusion of pneumonia vaccines in the EPI.
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